Official BYC Poll: How Often Do You Clean Your Coop?

[DelawareBeesnHens]

Inside the coop (10'x12' inside):

We perform a full cleanout seasonally. We compost our substrate for the garden -- making two piles in 6 month increments to ensure we're not spreading unmulched/decomposed substrate into our garden.

We perform spot removals under the roosts to ensure the ammonia smell doesn't fill up the space. This is an as-needed activity. We gage it with our nose .

Hen boxes get changed out every two weeks or whenever one breaks an egg. Substrate goes right onto the ground to mix in with the rest and new goes in. We have quite a lot of nesting boxes for our 20 chickens to keep them happy and not arguing about a preferred nesting box someone is occupying.

Outside the coop (9x29 one side 9x23 the other side) -- the only time we change is when the chickens make a compacted mound in the center of the run. We scoop the mound away to our loamy soil and reapply a top coat of large pine bark nuggets.

 

[Logar]

I clean out once a week to once every 3 weeks depending on what is going on. I am using shredded card with some shredded paper and stall fresh (basically a cheaper sweet PDZ) mixed in. I try to stir it every couple of days. If I am going away or something is going on and they are locked in their run for multiple days then I will change it out more frequently then if they are free ranging.

 

[Fitzychix]

I scrape the poop boards in the henhouse everyday sprinkle with clean pine or aspen shavings and I scoop out the deep bedding on the floor and replace with fresh whenever it needs, (average of every few months). All goes into the compost and onto the garden next year. We have a larger flock now so it needs it more often now but they free range in the yard all day so that helps!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

After 3 years I’m cleaning out and changing the hen house bedding (started to smell). All hemp. The cool part, is I’m going to store the old bedding in a leaf bag and utilize it during the winter the same way I’ll use the bagged leaves.

 

[SkyAJK]

I have been cleaning my chicken coops every morning and setting in new cardboards and papers every evening for less than a year now.

Before this practice, I used various bedding materials, treat my chickens lice and mites regularly and a few times infestation. I used to clean my chicken areas and coops 1 or 2 a week with just 6 chickens at that time.
The treatment of this was time consuming, exhausting, and taking out all the joy of having chickens for me. A few times also I got bitten by these lice and mites, infected my living room as well.
Then I decided to only use cardboard and newspapers for bedding materials. I throw them all out in the morning and replace new one in the evening. My chickens have not had any lice and mites issues. I just have so much work to do every day morning and before they settled in.
I am tired with this practice now, too much work. I am looking for an alternative option to this.

 

[Sic]

I clean my coop every morning, I don't use bedding, only use zeolite so it's basically a giant litterbox, scoop the waste, wipe down the frp walls with 70% isopropyl alcohol, and once a week paint the roosts and exposed wood with neem oil. I like things clean and simple, I used to use sand, but switched to 100% zeolite - zero smell.

 

[SkyAJK]

View attachment 3987755I clean my coop every morning, I don't use bedding, only use zeolite so it's basically a giant litterbox, scoop the waste, wipe down the frp walls with 70% isopropyl alcohol, and once a week paint the roosts and exposed wood with neem oil. I like things clean and simple, I used to use sand, but switched to 100% zeolite - zero smell.

Your coop look simple, easy and nice. I like it.
I have not hear of using Zeolite for chicken bedding, this is the first time I learn of it from you.
I google Zeolite selected the shopping tab on google and nothing return from my search. I will look into this. I am in Australia so it might be we do not have this?

 

[Sic]

Your coop look simple, easy and nice. I like it.
I have not hear of using Zeolite for chicken bedding, this is the first time I learn of it from you.
I google Zeolite selected the shopping tab on google and nothing return from my search. I will look into this. I am in Australia so it might be we do not have this?

Zeolite Clinoptilolite. SweetPDZ is zeolite, maybe you have heard of that and can find that there. The zeolite I buy is mined here in the US.

 

[SkyAJK]

Zeolite Clinoptilolite. SweetPDZ is zeolite, maybe you have heard of that and can find that there. The zeolite I buy is mined here in the US. View attachment 3988194

Thank you. I will look into this today.

 

[SkyAJK]

Zeolite Clinoptilolite. SweetPDZ is zeolite, maybe you have heard of that and can find that there. The zeolite I buy is mined here in the US. View attachment 3988194

I found Sweet PDZ Coop refresher
online Amazon here. I will get it today.
Thank you for sharing